Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini insists his team will use today’s derby to show they are still Manchester United’s equals even though the Premier League title is destined for Old Trafford.
With United 15 points clear of second placed City, Mancini has been forced to concede his side’s reign as champions is all but over even though he is eyeing reducing the points lead today.
Yet there is still plenty to play for at Old Trafford, with United looking to move closer to confirming their title triumph and City desperate to inflict a bloody nose on their bitter rivals.
“To win 6-1 is impossible. This can happen every 100 years. But we don’t deserve to stay 15 points behind United. They play well, they win a lot of games, the last time they lost was at Norwich (in November), so they deserve to stay on the top. But it is not a true table. Now we have eight games left. If we play well, we win a lot of these games, maybe we can reduce this gap. This should be our target. I don’t know at this moment what my approach will be.”
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson believes the clash will ignite passion. “It shouldn’t be any different really. I think there will still be a great intensity about the game. It will be captivating in the sense that it will be shown all over the world. It’s a Monday night game and the only game on. Therefore that does seep into fabric of what the game will be like today. For both teams, you can’t dismiss that. I think the important thing is winning the game against City.”